Balmoral Park Purchased By HITS, To Become Horse-Jumping Facility

Balmoral Park ceased operating as a harness racing track at the end of 2015

Balmoral Park, located in Illinois, was recently purchased by a New York company called HITS-Horse Shows In The Sun. The track most recently held harness racing at the end of 2015, but according to the Chicago Tribune, HITS plans to have the 200-acre facility operational for horse shows by next May.

“It's going to be a project people are going to come to from around the world,” said Tom Struzzieri, the company's president and chief executive. “I think we're going to make some hay there.”

Purchased for $1.6 million, construction will soon begin at the Balmoral site to build six competition rings and to update the barn areas. The main ring will even incorporate the track's original tote board and finish line. HITS plans to hold up to 14 competitions at the site annually.

Thank goodness the property isn’t going to be a shopping mall or an apartment complex.

Buckpasser

Actually there was a higher bidder by about 200k who wanted to develop for a possible truck stop, shopping mall etc. according to harness racing sites, but fortunately that bid for whatever reason was not accepted.

Plumcreek

Modern Hunter-Jumper Horse Show Parks are the hospitality-centric horse competition complexes that race tracks need to become. Different emphasis – on owners/competitors than fans and wagering, but the concept is the point. HITS will do this very well here.

Gene Oder Jr.

i am glad that this ended up with these people, i only hope that other breeds will be able to rent some of the facilities for other breed shows the chicago area has not had a top notch horse show facility up north since the amphitheater held the international livestock & horse show. it would make a tragic situation , perhaps better i really thought the race horse industry would of stepped up and got a group together to keep it a race track but that would go against the illinois motto destroy any business that was successful because of greedy corrupt politicians, racing board, judges, be careful new york they will somewhere stab you in the back, i thought the people that worked there were very good with there handiling of peoples requests it was a big moneymaker for the state, horse business, breeding, racing, training . balmoral park was the crown jewel of the whole midwest area for standardbreds, good luck new york perhaps you could bring al capone with you,, he still has a big fan base including me ,then we could run him for mayor

Larry Ensor

A group of investors that I was working with in 2004 tried to buy Atlantic City racecourse to do basically the same thing. But the plan also included keeping the racetrack to run boutique flat and jump racing. Greenwood Racing was very difficult to work with. 12 years later the property still sits empty. .

Thinker

Thank you for keeping it a horse facility!!!! Rockingham Park unfortunately will become high rises and shopping malls. It was beautiful.